Only John’s gospel tells the story of the hypocrites who use a woman they catch in adultery to trap Jesus. He can reject the law of Moses that requires stoning or break the Roman law against carrying out capital punishment. No real evidence exists that shows first-century Jews enforced the law against men and women who committed adultery. Jesus silences them when he directs, “Let the sinless one among you cast the first stone.”

The story is not about the woman dragged and humiliated before this impromptu tribunal — not until the end when the accusers slink away. Jesus empathizes with her, caught and shamed in a trap set for him. By standing with her, Jesus counters those who make her a spectacle. But what about the crowd? What can she do to find belonging again in the community? Can she go back to her husband? Her children? What wil the neighbors say who probably know her guilt?